As Long As It Takes
by Higuchimon
Summary: [au: reversal] It takes time to completely break someone, especially when they're as strong-willed as Johan Andersen. Haou of the Destructive Darkness will take that time. Because such a sweet prize is worth waiting for.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
 **Title:** As Long As It Takes  
 **Characters:** Juudai, Johan  
 **Word Count:** chapter 1: 1,649|| **story:** 1,649  
 **Genre:** Drama, Angst|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I, #011, multichapter with 9-14 chapters; Written for the GX Non-Flash Bingo, #007, patience is a virtue  
 **Notes:** This takes place in the world where Juudai is the incarnation of the Darkness of Destruction and Johan, formerly a rebel against him, is now his prisoner.  
 **Summary:** It takes time to completely break someone, especially when they're as strong-willed as Johan Andersen. Haou of the Destructive Darkness will take that time. Because such a sweet prize is worth waiting for.

* * *

Haou, unquestioned ruler and master of all that he surveyed, strolled his way through the corridors of his castle. Anyone who he passed bowed down at once, making certain not to meet his eyes. There weren't many who could stand to look into them and he quite liked it that way.

There weren't many entities whose presence he could tolerate for more than a few seconds. Most of those were his most loyal servants and slaves, the ones who would gladly throw themselves between him and any incoming danger, without any recourse to his powers necessary.

As he moved closer to the dungeons, he mused briefly on the fact that the entity whose presence he tolerated the most was the one who wanted to kill him the most. At least he was fairly certain Johan wanted to kill him more than anyone else in the world did. There _was_ a very long list of people who wanted to do that.

Of course, one of his current goals was to get Johan off that list entirely and onto the list of those who would defend Haou without even a thought to their own safety. The fact this would indeed require using his powers didn't bother him in the slightest. Sometimes you had to work for what you wanted, especially if it were something worth having.

Johan was worth having. Very much so.

Haou licked his lips. He would have Johan in every way by the end. He anticipated every single moment of it as well.

While the door that led to the dungeon had two guards stationed outside of it, the dungeon cell itself where Johan spent his time didn't have any guards. That was one of the ways Haou maintained his mastery. Even without the dungeon guards, Johan knew to stay in his cell.

He would try to escape, sooner or later. Haou didn't doubt it in the slightest. And when the time came, Haou would pick him up and put him back where he belonged. It would take more training then, but in the end, Johan would submit to him.

 _I hope it doesn't take too long. I'm enjoying this too much._

Now he stood inside the doorway and examined his lovely prize. Johan had very little here, and all of it was because of Haou's largesse. He wore the tattered remains of what he'd had on when he'd been captured and a couple of blankets that he slept on and under. A small bucket, kept ruthlessly clean by Haou's slaves, provided for other needs.

Johan rolled to his feet as soon as he realized Haou was there. That didn't take long; Haou knew his presence was unmistakeable. But now the prisoner stared at him, pressing himself against the far back of the cell.

"So good to see you again, Johan," Haou said, not moving from the doorway just yet. "Have you missed me?"

Johan shook his head. "No! I'd rather you hadn't even come now!"

Oh, Johan. So defiant. So _amusing_. Haou would almost miss the defiance when he finally snuffed it out. The amusement would remain, of course. It would simply end up taking different forms.

"But why would I not come to see you?" Haou took a step forward and smirked at the sight of Johan pressing himself harder against the stone wall, as if he hoped he could meld into it and thus get away from his captor. "You are _mine_ , Johan, and I enjoy my possessions."

Johan shook his head swiftly. "Not yours. I'm not ever going to be yours. You'd have to kill me first."

"I could make you mine in a heartbeat," Haou told him, lips thinning. "It wouldn't at all be the first time I've -" he paused to choose just the right word - "convinced someone to see the world my way."

Now Johan sneered at him. "If you were going to do that, you already would have."

"Yes, you're right about that," Haou agreed, taking one more step into the cell. There wasn't much room in here, and nowhere Johan could go. Johan knew that as well as Haou did. "But I will tame you the way that I choose and it will be more entertaining for me, and stronger on you, than any other method. It may even take me years to finish, but in the end, Johan Andersen? In the end, you will be absolutely mine, and you will enjoy every single moment of it." A quick flash of bared teeth that held little of being a smile. "But not nearly as much as I will."

Johan had no real room to move but he tried anyway. For all that Haou had already done to him in the weeks and months since his capture, his spirit hadn't flagged all that much as of yet. Haou wasn't at all surprised to see him dart forward, then duck around Haou, making for the door.

Sadly, today wasn't the day Haou wanted him to try to get out. That would come another time, more to Haou's liking. He did permit Johan to take two paces outside the door, before he caught up with his fleeing property and wrapped a hand around Johan's throat, slamming him into the wall.

"We were having a conversation," he reprimanded, staring into Johan's eyes. "It's rude to run off like that. I'm going to have to teach you a few lessons."

Johan struggled for so much as a breath of air more than Haou allowed him, but to no avail. Haou lifted him off the floor by his throat and carried him back into the cell, where he tossed him down.

"Stay there." Haou commanded. Johan couldn't even move at the moment, too busy breathing. Haou enjoyed the sight of Johan half-collapsed to his knees and enjoyed it more when Johan finally stared up at him, hatred in every line of his body. All of his lessons so far had only increased that hatred. That pleased Haou so very much.

He came closer. "This is your first lesson for the day. I have a question for you. If you give me the wrong answer, then you'll be punished. Give me the right answer, and you'll be rewarded. That's not hard, is it?"

When Johan said nothing, Haou reached down and grasped hold of his shoulder, sending a light jolt of energy through him to stimulate Johan's pain receptors. It was a very light jolt, little more than a tap on the shoulder, but Johan jerked, his eyes round and staring up at Haou now.

"You should always answer me," Haou reminded him patiently. "Now, you heard what I said before?" That got a quick, jerky nod. Haou allowed it as an answer. "Answering me correctly won't be difficult at all, will it?"

This one got a shake of the head. Haou decided he would be generous today. After all, he was about to be extremely hard on Johan. Johan wouldn't possibly get the right answer today. He couldn't.

One step at a time. Haou had patience like none other's. When one's goal was the conquest, domination, and destruction of all life in the cosmos, then patience was absolutely necessary.

Now. To begin.

He stared down into Johan's eyes, remaining dead silent, letting Johan's fear and worry build up until he spied a trickle of sweat going down his forehead. Perfect.

"Who are you?"

Johan blinked in confusion. "W-what?"

Haou smiled. One would think this question wouldn't be difficult. Still, the right answer wasn't the one Johan thought it was. "I asked who you are. You know who you are, don't you?"

Johan nodded, still confused. Haou tsked. "Then answer the question. Tell me who you are."

"Johan Andersen." Underneath the two words there remained a dust of confusion and the tension hadn't left him at all. Good. Johan didn't know if this was what Haou wanted at all. Beneath his bravado, he was terrified.

Just the way Haou wanted him.

He hadn't released Johan from his earlier grip and now he tightened it, until Johan's breath hissed between his teeth and he tried to get away from Haou. That, of course, still wasn't allowed, and Haou's hold on him tightened as he sent another wave of energy through Johan. He bent over slightly, watching, as Johan's teeth ground against one another, his head fell back, and he jerked underneath Haou's touch, every pain receptor in his body howling in agony.

Haou only kept his hand there for less than a minute, but it was more than enough to keep Johan in agony for some time. Haou watched every moment of it, drinking in the pain and terror.

"That was the wrong answer," Haou said at last, when he knew for certain that Johan could hear him. "Do you want to try again?"

He wasn't surprised to see Johan shake his head, but he waited a few more moments, wanting to be certain that it wasn't the remnants of the pain talking.

"Too bad. I do." That was part of the lesson Haou had worked on teaching Johan since the moment he'd arrived at the castle. What Johan wanted no longer mattered. Only Haou's desires held any effect. "Now, who are you?"

Johan's defiance never surprised him. Even suffering the aftereffects of the pain, Johan glared up at him and declared his own name one more time. Haou let out a long-suffering sigh, hiding his amusement.

"So stubborn." He ignited the pain again with a touch of his fingers, avoiding Johan's clumsy attempt to bat his hand away. "We'll try this again and again, until you learn the right answer. I'm patient, Johan. I know you'll figure it out sooner or later." He leaned forward to whisper into Johan's ear. "But can you convince me that you know it before the pain drives you insane?"

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
 **Title:** As Long As It Takes: Chapter 2  
 **Characters:** Juudai, Johan  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,682|| **story:** 3,331  
 **Genre:** Adventure, Romance|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I, #011, multichapter with 9-14 chapters; Written for the GX Non-Flash Bingo, #007, patience is a virtue  
 **Notes:** This takes place in the world where Juudai is the incarnation of the Darkness of Destruction and Johan, formerly a rebel against him, is now his prisoner.  
 **Summary:** It takes time to completely break someone, especially when they're as strong-willed as Johan Andersen. Haou of the Destructive Darkness will take that time. Because such a sweet prize is worth waiting for.

* * *

Once more Haou made his way down to the dungeons, in quite the good mood. The sight of his smile had a tendency to make people wonder what disaster he'd caused somewhere. While he wouldn't have called it a disaster by any means, he still so looked forward to seeing how Johan reacted to what he had to say to him today.

When he stepped into the cell, Johan once again took only a few moments to become aware of his presence, and once again he rolled to his feet. Haou would have to reward that sooner or later. But now it was time for Johan's next lesson and rewards could come after that.

If Johan truly earned them.

Of course, Johan still remained pressed against the far side of the cell, anger and fear glittering in his jewel-bright eyes. Haou savored that. He considered his options for dealing with Johan today; every one of them invited glorious pain and anguish. So difficult to decide.

Despite how hard it was, it didn't take him long to make up his mind. He pointed at Johan, then pointed to a place in front of him. He said nothing. The gesture made it all pointedly clear.

And he was not surprised at all to see Johan stubbornly shake his head and remain where he was. _He seems to think that he has a choice in any of this._

"Disobeying me is hardly the way to make me happy with you, Johan," he warned. He did not often warn. Johan should be aware of that. He gestured again. Just once more, just enough to convey that Johan had best obey freely while he still could.

"What makes you think I want you to be happy with me?" Johan shot back. Oh, his defiance had clearly strengthened. All the more fun to break it down.

There was little that Haou _couldn't_ find amusing about Johan. Even this defiance, while slightly on the annoying side, provided a lovely spark.

"Because your life and everything about you belongs to me," Haou patiently reminded him. "I believe I've told you this before. Many times." He allowed a small edge of annoyance to creep into his voice. He did not want Johan to get any ideas that he could continue this forever. A respectable amount of time, to be certain, but even Haou had his limits.

Johan still didn't move. Haou flowed into the room, resting one hand on his prisoner's shoulder and sending a shock all through him, greater than any of the ones he'd unleashed in the past. Johan screamed, thrashing, head slamming against the wall. Haou tsked for a moment before he pulled Johan away from there.

The only pain that he wished Johan to experience was pain at his hands, not because of how he squirmed at his punishment. A fine line to draw, but one that Haou could judge to within a hair.

He let the pain ease up and then followed it with a quick rush of pleasure, stimulating Johan's nerve endings but in a different way. He enjoyed both versions of this, and it was really his pleasure that counted the most.

 _I think I like making him feel good more than anything._ The reasoning behind that was simplicity itself: because the last thing Johan wanted from Haou was to feel good about _anything_. He knew well how Johan thought. If he had to choose between the two, pain would be his choice, because of how much Johan _hated_ him. To feel enjoyment at Haou's touch revolted him so very much.

So Haou took his time making certain that Johan received his touch whenever he could arrange to do so. Pleasure and pain poured from him into Johan, spurred both by his simple touch and other, more complex moments.

Once he judged Johan had 'enjoyed' enough of his affections, if such they could be called, he removed his hand from his dear prisoner and watched as Johan collapsed, his legs not capable of supporting him.

It took a few minutes for Johan to finally lift up his head. His eyes remained clouded with equal parts fear, rage, and a trace of self-hating pleasure that Haou thoroughly enjoyed seeing.

"Tell me who you are," Haou said, his attention focused even more so on Johan. "And get it right, Johan. I really do not want to punish you again."

Johan blinked, his mind clearly not moving as quickly as Haou's was. But then he began to shake his head, his voice quivering. "You… you're lying. You _like_ punishing me."

Haou tilted his head back, a small smile playing about his lips for a moment or two. Under other circumstances, someone could have even found it alluring. Or perhaps not terrifying. Johan wasn't one of those people. He'd experienced far too much at Haou's hands already to think otherwise.

"You're right," Haou admitted with a small laugh. "I really do. You make it too easy for me, Johan. You _fight_ too much." He leaned forward, breath ghosting against Johan's skin. "And you can't change that, can you? You can't just give in to me, because that would be worse than anything, wouldn't it?"

So close, he had a perfect view of Johan's shaking shoulders and the fear that shone bright in Johan's eyes. Beautiful. So very _beautiful_. Haou licked his lips and ran one finger along Johan's jaw and cheek.

"Now, are you going to tell me who you are? I haven't forgotten my question." He paused, waiting for Johan to gather himself together enough for an answer. "We are going to do this until you know who you are, until you _believe_ who you are, and until you can say it with pride." He laughed. "This is going to take a while, I know. But I have time. I have even more time than I usually do."

More fear sparked in Johan's eyes, the lines of his face tensing. "Wha- what do you mean?"

Haou waved a finger at him. "You don't get your questions answered until I've had _mine_ answered." He delivered a cold look. Johan stared at him, then dropped his head and shook it once more.

"You know who I am. Johan Andersen." He sounded more weary than he did anything else, already worn out by Haou's first punishment of him. Haou traced his fingers across Johan's cheek one more time, sending a small spark of pain flaring through him.

"No. That is your name, that isn't who you are. I'll teach you who you are." Haou tried something new, sending a mixed wave of energy throughout Johan, partially to stimulate his pain, partially his pleasure, mixing the two on a level that sent Johan crying out, squirming and thrashing his arms and legs, tears of shock and surprise sparkling on his cheeks in moments.

Haou let it last as long as he could without destroying Johan's mind in a way he didn't approve of. Johan sank against him, chest heaving, fingers twitching. Haou ran a caressing finger against his prisoner's cheek.

"You are mine, Johan Andersen. That is who you are, what you are, what you will always be from now on." Haou murmured the words into Johan's ear, genuinely not knowing if Johan heard him or not. He somewhat hoped that he would, that the knowledge would sink into him and Johan would accept the truth.

If Johan had heard him, he didn't make any sign of it when he began to stir again, sense returning to his eyes. He started to pull himself away from Haou, but Haou's steel-like arm kept him close.

"You didn't get the answer right, but you did answer me," Haou said. "So I'll answer you. I have more time to tend to you because today I received word that my armies crushed three different villages." He gave the names with a sense of satisfaction, one increased when Johan tensed under his touch.

All of those villages held one thing in common: the inhabitants supported the resistance. Johan could very well have known people who lived there who were no more. Any survivors would be herded into the pens and kept there to serve as dueling fodder for Haou's armies. Perhaps even Haou himself, if he wished to lower himself to duel such rabble.

"Another step forward for me," Haou murmured, tracing fingers through Johan's hair. "Aren't you happy for me?"

"Why would I ever be happy that you're killing more innocent people?" Johan spat the words out harshly and Haou laughed, probably the genuine sound of mirth that he'd ever made.

"Innocents? Johan, have you even seen this world? There are no innocents. That is why I exist. If innocents existed, if this world, if _all_ the worlds weren't squirming, revolting cesspits that have no redeeming value whatsoever, if they didn't _need_ to be destroyed so that they could all start fresh and clean, then I wouldn't exist." He tilted Johan's head up so he could meet the other's eyes. "That is what destruction is for, Johan. To cleanse everything anew so that there can be a fresh start. What is so wrong with that?"

He left out the parts about crushing and destroying every single spark of life so far as his power could reach, so that there was only the slimmest chance that the Creative Light could spark everything off once more.

As well as the part about wanting to destroy the avatar of the Creative Light in the _first place_. But he didn't think Johan would understand that part and it was a little complicated, even for him. He understood it all on an instinctual level which he thought worked far better anyway.

"If I had the time, I'd make you a list," Johan muttered. This time, Haou let him move away, as he pulled himself to his feet.

"Johan," Haou's voice held only amusement. "You have the time. What else are you going to do here?"

He leaned forward now. "Aside from wait for me to return for your next lesson."

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
 **Title:** As Long As It Takes  
 **Characters:** Juudai, Johan  
 **Word Count:** chapter 3: 1,680|| **story:** 5,011  
 **Genre:** Adventure, Romance|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I, #011, multichapter with 9-14 chapters; Written for the GX Non-Flash Bingo, #007, patience is a virtue  
 **Notes:** This takes place in the world where Juudai is the incarnation of the Darkness of Destruction and Johan, formerly a rebel against him, is now his prisoner.  
 **Special Note:** This chapter contains extremely questionable consent and implied sex in the past and present between two males. Johan's consent is the result of a combination of knowing that he actually has no ability to say no and have that be acknowledged, as well as the fact his choices are actually 'sex with pain' and 'sex with mind-blowing pleasure' and basically, he doesn't want to get hurt if he can find a way around it. I think it's vague enough to still be rated T/PG-13, but I will not rule out upgrading to "M" later in the story.  
 **Summary:** It takes time to completely break someone, especially when they're as strong-willed as Johan Andersen. Haou of the Destructive Darkness will take that time. Because such a sweet prize is worth waiting for.

* * *

"You did well." Haou's voice, silken and shadowy and all that Johan never wanted to hear and all that he _did_ want to hear now, murmured against his ear. Johan tensed and began to turn away, even knowing that wasn't allowed.

As he'd expected, Haou's hand rested against his cheek, turning him back around and sliding down to tilt Johan's head up so their eyes met, gem-blue to hellfire gold. Haou pressed his cold lips against Johan's forehead.

"Watching you duel on my behalf is so much better than you trying to duel against me," Haou said, his voice only partially muffled by being so close to Johan's skin. "Do you enjoy dueling for me?"

Johan knew what he was supposed to say. He knew every answer that Haou wanted him to give and he gave ground so very reluctantly and fought to take it back whenever he could. He steeled himself to steal back what he could now.

"You know I don't." He hated that Haou asked him questions like this. He'd never encountered anything that he liked about Haou anyway.

He expected punishment. He expected pain. Or even pleasure. Haou could and did mix both into a hormonal cocktail that spun Johan out of his senses for what seemed like days on end.

What he got was Haou's hand brushing through his hair and a familiar chuckle in his ears. "I will almost miss your defiance once it's gone."

Johan shuddered, fingers clenching on his legs. He knew better than anyone that Haou could make the most defiant rebel into his obedient slave with little more than a twist of his fingers and the pressure of his power. Why Haou didn't do this to him kept on confusing him.

 _Because I like taking my time with you, Johan. I like seeing you fight and fail over and over again. It's so_ _ **delicious**_ _to watch you fall under my control and you know that there's nothing at all that you can do to change it._

Of all the things that Haou did to him, feeling that filthy touch crawling around in his _mind_ , knowing that Haou could, would, did, and had do anything that he wanted to do in there ranked up as the absolute worst.

Well, second worst. He hadn't yet adjusted to the times when Haou brought him to his bedroom for an entirely different form of training and discipline.

"Give me your Duel Disk." Haou commanded. Johan let himself relax a tiny fraction at that. It usually meant that Haou's visit was over with for now. He would return; he could never not return, but at least Johan would have a little rest for the moment.

He lifted up his arm, bidding a silent farewell to the Gem Beasts, knowing that he'd not see them again until Haou allowed him to duel once more. He couldn't see or hear them right now; they never materialized in Haou's presence and he wasn't even certain if they could. Seeing them on the battlefield was all he could manage, and one reason he didn't argue against fighting for Haou. If he could find them anywhere else and escape with them…

But one lesson learned quickly underneath Haou was that fantasies needed to remain fantasies.

Haou's hand caught on his wrist and Johan's eyes widened as he looked up toward his captor. "I said to _give me the duel disk_ ," Haou ordered, every word bit off. "I did not say to offer your arm."

Johan held back a groan. Some days he could never tell exactly what Haou wanted and when he misinterpreted, he earned pain for it. Now he carefully removed the disk, let his fingers trace over the deck one last time, and held it outward. He kept his lips sealed together, refusing to say a word.

Haou accepted the disk, hanging it on his belt, and then turned his thoughtful attention back to Johan. "I don't think I'm as tired as I thought I was," he said, eyes going up and down Johan's body. "Get up."

Oh, no. Johan knew what that was for. Resistance would just mean he would be dragged along anyway, and that there would be far more pain than pleasure. Johan didn't think there was anything wrong with _not_ wanting to be hurt. And Haou was very, very skilled at making him feel very good, so long as Johan obeyed him in every way.

From the looks that the guards gave him as they passed by, they all knew what Haou had in mind. It wasn't that surprising. Johan got very vocal when Haou turned his full attention on him. The first time he'd been brought to Haou's chambers, the looks he'd been given when he was escorted out spelled out very clearly they knew what Haou's treatment of him had been.

He'd also ended up dueling three of them who called him certain names afterward. No matter what Haou did to him, the overlord always insisted on everyone _not_ using those names for Johan.

It was one of the things that confused Johan about Haou. He'd made a mental list of all of them. It was very, very long.

As they entered Haou's chambers, he set Johan's duel disk down on a table, then gestured Johan through the receiving room and into the bathroom. There wasn't a room in the suite where he hadn't taken his pleasure of Johan, but the bathroom was a frequent place to begin, especially if one or both of them had dueled not that long before. Johan suspected the bedroom would come once they were refreshed, since the bedroom meant he wanted to take his time. Perhaps all night, if their stamina lasted.

To be fair, if _Haou's_ stamina lasted. Johan's wasn't really taken into consideration unless Haou happened to be in a generous mood.

As always, Johan could hardly believe that such a bathroom could actually exist. But there it was, spread out in glorious scarlet and black marble, with one tub to wash in and another to soak in, both of them wide enough for multiple participants. A pile of clean towels and clothes rested on one side; someone had clearly made it ready for Haou's use.

He didn't see any clean clothes for _him_ , but that didn't surprise him either. Haou's plans didn't include him needing them for some time.

"You fought very hard for me today," Haou said, wrapping his arms around Johan from behind and pulling him closer. "You deserve a treat or two. You'll stay with me until after breakfast. Perhaps longer if I want you again."

This had happened before. Not only would he get a good hot bath and what clothes he had would be washed and ready to wear again when he was sent back to the dungeon, but he'd get at least two meals, which he'd have to eat from Haou's own hands. Not to mention whatever else it pleased Haou to do to him. With him. Whichever.

Haou's lips pressed against the back of Johan's neck over and over. "You're not going to try to fight me tonight, are you?" He traced his tongue across the side of Johan's ear. "You did last time, remember?"

Johan remembered. He breathed harder as he felt Haou pressing against him. "N-not tonight, Haou-sama," he murmured, hating the taste of the honorific on his tongue. "And I remember."

"Good. I don't want to punish you tonight. You're being rewarded." Haou's hands began to unfasten Johan's clothes. "Keep this up and you could get rewarded every night. Wouldn't you like that?" There was just a smidge too much sweetness in the tone. Johan mentally shuddered, but the press of Haou's fingers against his skin reminded him that he'd been asked a question.

"Yes," he murmured. It wasn't a total lie. If being rewarded meant _not_ being tortured and sent into screams of agony, then, yes, he very much wanted rewards.

With the last of Johan's clothes removed, Haou turned him around and gave him a stern look. Johan knew his duties. Moving with extreme care, he began to unfasten Haou's clothes as well.

Haou pulled him closer afterward, searing kisses from Johan's neck to his stomach and back up again, his hands going down to wrap around Johan's wrists and keep him still. Johan's breath hissed out between his teeth and he tilted his head back, baring his neck even more to Haou's touch.

 **All mine, Johan. That's what you are. Mine forever.** Haou's words twisted through Johan's mind. **Do I need to ask who you are tonight?**

Johan shuddered, a combination of Haou's hands and lips on his most sensitive places as well as Haou's mind touching his so intimately. "No..." He was Haou's. The thought of struggling against it could not enter his mind tonight.

Haou pushed him backwards, guiding him carefully until they reached the washing pool. He had to take his lips off Johan to do this, but Johan didn't complain about that. Pleasure spun through Johan's mind whenever those lips rested anywhere on his skin and he wanted to remain able to think about what he was doing.

Of course, Haou only would allow him to think about what Haou _wanted_ him to think about, and that was the intimate pleasures between them right now. Haou settled him down into the water, fingers caressing along all those places that made Johan feel so very good. In a very short amount of time, Johan arched upward, hands splashing in the water, shuddering.

"Haou-sama," he groaned, too overwhelmed to even think of how much he hated to say it like that. Haou licked the side of his neck.

"Mine," he murmured. Johan did not disagree. In the morning, when he was sent back to the dungeon, thoroughly sated and knowing Haou had wrung every bit of pleasure and obedience from him that he desired, he would disagree with all of his strength. He would hate himself almost as much as he hated Haou.

And Haou would simply smile.

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
 **Title:** As Long As It Takes  
 **Characters:** Juudai, Johan  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,641|| **story:** 6,000  
 **Genre:** Adventure, Romance|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I, #011, multichapter with 9-14 chapters; Written for the GX Non-Flash Bingo, #007, patience is a virtue  
 **Notes:** This takes place in the world where Juudai is the incarnation of the Darkness of Destruction and Johan, formerly a rebel against him, is now his prisoner.  
 **Summary:** It takes time to completely break someone, especially when they're as strong-willed as Johan Andersen. Haou of the Destructive Darkness will take that time. Because such a sweet prize is worth waiting for.

* * *

 _Stubborn. Again._ Haou did his best to be patient with Johan. One had to be, when the training was this complicated. He wanted Johan as his loyal companion, lover, slave, and warrior, doing anything at all that Haou wanted him to do. Getting him to indulge in pleasure wasn't difficult, really. After the pain Haou put him through, anything that made him feel good was embraced.

It wasn't difficult to get Johan to duel either. He _was_ a duelist, a warrior, and Haou knew full well that Johan looked on his dueling duties as a way to cut down Haou's forces even while living in Haou's dungeons.

He also took any chance he could in order to duel with his dear Gem Beasts. Haou made certain they couldn't truly exchange confidences, sealing the spirits so only the vaguest hint of their essences made it to Johan's awareness. That was still enough to soothe Johan, Haou noticed.

 _I need to do something more. Something he won't expect._ Every little bit would help him break Johan down that much more. In the end Haou knew that he would get what he wanted out of Johan.

He _always_ got what he wanted, no matter how long it took him to get it. He'd already held Johan for nearly two years. Patience. The infinite patience of the darkness, that was what he needed. He'd made it this far. He could certainly keep on going,

But the Gem Beasts. Those were the next stage in bending Johan to his will that much more.

Haou spread the deck before him, giving it a long and lingering look. He could see the ties that bound the beasts to Johan, in this life and all others. Perhaps in lives in other realms as well. He paid only minimal attention to that, though. His focus was the here and now.

And the here and now gave him another path to chip away at Johan's defenses. He selected the eight cards from the deck that showed the Gem Beasts themselves; the other cards were of minimal importance. These held the heart and soul of the deck and that meant the heart and soul of Johan himself.

"Come to me," he murmured, commanding as only he could command. The Gem Beasts did not obey at first. That didn't surprise him, either. They were as stubborn and recalcitrant as Johan himself was. A good match, really.

But as Johan bent to his will, so would they. He reached out with one little brush of his power, sending a variation of the jolt he used to hurt Johan through them all.

"Come to me," he repeated, his voice growing in sternness. "Or I will do that to Johan, a thousand times more." Granted, he would probably do that anyway, when Johan did or didn't do something that earned him a punishment, but that wasn't the actual point.

One by one, all eight of them appeared before him, from the tiny Ruby Carbuncle to the great Rainbow Dragon in all of his glory. None of them could lay a finger on him and actually cause him damage. He returned their furious glares with his usual cool disdain.

"Where is Johan?" Amethyst Cat wanted to know, her claws flexing as if she wished to bury them in something. Haou suspected it was his neck. How cute.

"Sleeping in his dungeon. But that isn't what I called you all here for." Haou leaned forward, eyes raking over each of them in return, judging just what he would have to do for this. "You are all going to help me with him."

Topaz Tiger met Haou's golden eyes head-on. "We have no reason to help you at all. You've only ever hurt Johan."

"I beg to differ. I've caused him some of the greatest pleasure of his life." Haou did his best to sound offended. He wasn't very good at it, since he'd yet to encounter anything that could actually _offend_ him. "But I really wasn't _asking_ for you to help me. I was _telling_ you that you're going to, whether you want to or not."

Rainbow Dragon bent his head down, his voice calm and unhurried. Under other circumstances, Haou might have been impressed by the power implicit there. "You would twist us as you have others. As you are trying to do with Johan."

"As I am doing to Johan," Haou corrected. He saw no reason to deny what he was doing. "He deserves servants of great strength and power, and you are just not what he needs."

"We are his family," Emerald Turtle said, shuffling toward a fraction. Cobalt Eagle nodded, wings tilting out as if he intended to take off.

"Nothing you can do to us will ever change that."

Haou's smile would have sent fear into the heart of a stone. "I wasn't trying to change it. I think you all will have an upgrade."

With one quick movement he gathered all of the cards into his hand and sent a powerful surge of energy through them. He could've done this perfectly well without calling their spirits from the cards, but this was why he'd done that: so he could see their reactions firsthand, hear their pained and tortured cries.

Haou leaned forward to get a better look as the dark energy processed through them. Ruby Carbuncle, perhaps by being the smallest, fell victim first, trembling all over, limbs thrashing, as spiked collars of metal came into existence all around her. The tiny creature whimpered softly and Haou hissed in delight at the sound. It was so much like Johan's cries of pain or pleasure. So delicious, so exquisite.

One by one they all fell, their eyes shifting to brilliant scarlet, the spiked metal collars tightening around their necks and other body parts. Rainbow Dragon was the last, pure white scales fading into darker ones.

"Excellent," Haou murmured in approval. Their effects were mostly unchanged, but he did call up a handful of new cards that would improve Johan's deck with these new creatures. He would have to have Johan duel more in order to learn how to use them properly, but that was hardly a hardship. Seeing Johan kill at his command aroused Haou like few things could.

All of these new Gem Beasts stared at him. He stared back, eyes flaming brilliant gold, pleased as he could be when they all bowed down to him, submission in every line of their bodies. It was almost as pleasant as seeing Johan like that.

"Back to your cards now," he commanded, scooping those up as he spoke. He glanced at them curiously to see how they changed and approved. Even he didn't always know how his power would affect someone connected to a card. He would have to test it out more and see what he could do with it. There was a Freed the Brave Wanderer in one of the other cells. It would give him something to do when he wasn't conditioning Johan.

The new Gem Beasts obeyed his order without hesitation. Oh, it would be so entertaining to see how Johan reacted to this! Eager to see it, he headed down to where his favorite entertainment awaited him.

* * *

Just as he'd imagined, Johan lay in his cell, one arm thrown over his head, eyes closed, his usual posture when Haou wasn't there with him. Haou entered the cell, letting his presence speak for him. As soon as it dawned on Johan that he was there – and it did not take long – Johan rolled off of the small bunk and presented himself on his knees before his lord and master.

Of course, from the annoyed expression Haou barely caught sight of, that wasn't what he thought about Haou. But he let it slide for the moment. What he had in mind was far more entertaining than a minor infraction.

Haou took a moment to examine him, quite pleased with what he could see. Johan's only clothes were the tattered remains of what he'd worn when he was first captured. Haou did make certain they were washed and returned to him on a regular basis, and kept Johan busy while he had nothing else to wear. Johan himself was also kept clean by Haou's own hand, and given regular access to all the facilities necessary.

Haou was a monster in many ways, but Johan was a source of great pleasure for him, and he would not let his pleasure toy be _dirty_.

He trailed his fingers over the side of Johan's head. "So glad to see you as well, Johan." He let a small spark of pleasure flow into Johan, reveling in the way the other shuddered.

"Haou-sama," Johan murmured, dropping his eyes. His throat worked a little but nothing else came out of it. Haou toyed with a strand or two of his hair.

"I've brought you a gift, Johan. You should be grateful to me for it." Haou chided, resting his hand now on Johan's shoulder. "You'll even be allowed to keep it in here with you."

Johan's eyes darted up toward him, wary and untrusting. Under other circumstances, Haou might have been offended. As it was, he was only amused. He slipped the deck from where he'd hidden it under his cloak and offered it to Johan. At first the other didn't move, then he reached up one careful hand to take the deck.

Haou watched with bated breath as Johan fanned the deck out. For a single moment his eyes widened and all the blood drained out of his face. Then he stared up at Haou, muscles tight and tears being held back by nothing more than strength of will.

"What… what did you do to them!?"

Haou smiled warmly. "I call them the Advanced Gem Beasts."

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
 **Title:** As Long As It Takes  
 **Characters:** Juudai, Johan  
 **Word Count:** chapter 5: 1,645|| **story:** 8,297  
 **Genre:** Adventure, Romance|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I, #011, multichapter with 9-14 chapters; Written for the GX Non-Flash Bingo, #007, patience is a virtue  
 **Notes:** This takes place in the world where Juudai is the incarnation of the Darkness of Destruction and Johan, formerly a rebel against him, is now his prisoner.  
 **Summary:** It takes time to completely break someone, especially when they're as strong-willed as Johan Andersen. Haou of the Destructive Darkness will take that time. Because such a sweet prize is worth waiting for.

* * *

Johan's hand shook at the sight of what he held. These couldn't be the Gem Beasts. Not _his_ Gem Beasts, not his family, the one thing that he'd held onto in order to survive all of this. Nothing that Haou did could matter so long as he could see them now and then. He hated what he had to do _with them_ , but just knowing they were all right had kept him going through many a spiral of pain and pleasure.

And yet now their cards rested in his hands, no longer the innocent beauties they'd been, but wrapped in enchantments and steel and spikes.

"Aren't they gorgeous?" Haou purred, fingers now sliding around Johan's neck and rubbing softly. "I put a lot of effort into making them stronger for you."

Words choked in Johan's throat. He wanted to shout and scream, to tell Haou that he didn't want any of this. All he could bring himself to do was shake his head numbly.

"You don't like them?" Haou's fingers tightened on Johan's neck, sending a small thread of pain down him. "That's very wrong of you, not to like a present that someone worked so hard for."

Johan swallowed and shook his head again, forcing the words out of his throat. "You _hurt_ them." Like you hurt me, he wanted to say. They weren't to be hurt. They were to be _safe_.

"I hurt anyone I want," Haou pointed out with laser-like accuracy, his voice losing a small part of its smug pleasure. "You of all people should know that by now."

"Not them." Johan didn't know that he could actually be this angry when it came to Haou. He thought it had been tortured out of him already.

 _When it's my family involved, I think I can do anything I want,_ he thought for a brief moment. He spared no more time than that before slamming his fists against Haou's stomach with every ounce of strength that he could draw into them. He didn't wait around to see what results came from that. He had only one goal in mind now: getting out and finding a way back to his friends. Maybe someone there could help the Gem Beasts.

He was on his feet and out the door in far less time than it would take to tell it. He didn't look behind himself. He knew if he did, he'd see Haou and all of the will to resist would drain out of him once again. He just ran, shooting past the guards at the end of the dungeon gateway as if he were oiled, hearing them cry out, one wanting to stop him, another wanting to go check on Haou.

That was exactly what Johan wanted out of both of them: confusion, chaos, disorder. The longer it took for them to get organized, then the better chance he had of getting out of there and into territory controlled by the rebels.

 _Is it the same as it was? It can't be, it's been so long, and he's already done so much._ Johan couldn't remember all the times when Haou told him that he'd taken over certain areas or what those areas had been. Most of those exchanges – if they could even be called that – had been when Johan was in such a horrific mixture of pain and pleasure that he wasn't even prepared to believe they'd even happened, not to mention how much truth there may or may not have been in them.

He shook his head, trying to clear it as best he could. Sooner or later – and it would probably be sooner – Haou would be after him, and Johan didn't dare let him get even close to him. Being able to hear his voice would be bad enough. Being in touching distance would be far, far worse.

Which meant he had to get out of the fortress and put it as far behind him as he could manage, and he had to do that preferably without being seen at all. If someone saw him, they could tell Haou where he'd gone.

He could still hear voices behind him. None of them were Haou's voice and that gave him enough hope to keep on running. He held the Gem Beasts – he refused to think of them as the _Advanced_ Gem Beasts no matter what – close to his chest, hoping that somewhere along the line, he could find himself something decent to wear. Having only shredded rags didn't mean much when he spent the majority of his days and nights in a secluded cell and the one person who spent the most time with him didn't always want Johan to be dressed anyway.

There had to be a laundry around there somewhere. But Johan couldn't have guessed where it was if he'd spent days trying, not when the first part of his mental energies was focused on just getting out of there in one piece.

Escape before clothes. Right.

He darted and dodged, regretting every time that he'd been taken through these halls and hadn't thought to memorize where they led. There hadn't been any use, he thought, because he'd never escape.

In the beginning, he had tried, he reminded himself. Before Haou embarked on his long-term plan of crushing every bit of spirit out of Johan and catching him in a whirl of pleasure and pain at every opportunity. But those memories were nearly as faded as the ones that spawned from his days with the rebellion. Even now he couldn't be entirely certain what really had happened and what hadn't.

 _No time to worry about it. I need to get out. Fresh air, that's what I need to track._ It was the best chance he had. He sniffed quickly, thought he caught a whiff of it, and darted down the stone corridor as fast as his bare feet could take him.

In moments he found one very good reason to be glad that Haou had some kind of _thing_ about proving he was the long-running victor in this even longer war. It wasn't just about holding Johan. This included the corridors in the higher levels he'd found having spectacular tapestries on the walls _and_ thick rugs on the floors. The rugs muffled the sound of his hastening footsteps, but he could still hear the heavy tread of the warriors as they roamed the halls on their patrols. The tapestries provided places he could hide behind, with the occasional niche for statues giving him a bit of variety in concealment.

His heart beat a faster pace when he heard a very familiar set of swift footsteps stalking down one of the corridors not that far ahead of him. His eyes darted from side to side and one of those niches was the only place he could see to hide in what time he thought he had.

In a moment he was there, crouching down behind the statue there, getting as much of himself covered as he could. He scrunched his eyes as tightly closed as they could. He knew very well that the thought of 'if I can't see him then he can't see me' was ridiculous as could be, but if he didn't see Haou, then he wouldn't have to worry about all of those trained instincts telling him to get down on his knees before his master.

"I want him found," Haou's voice grated. "I want him found _alive and unharmed_. No one is to disturb so much as a hair on his head. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Haou-sama!" The answer came from a chorus of voices that Johan recognized from those times he'd been enacting his 'duties' as Haou's personal executioner. Those were the ones who comprised Haou's 'court', who held highly ranked positions in his army, and spent their spare time mocking Johan whenever he came in their sight: but never in Haou's hearing. Those who mocked Johan to Haou ended up facing Johan in judgment.

Johan had never lost one of those duels. He didn't want to have one of them now, either. So he had to stay where he was. Stay unseen. Stay _safe_.

Haou and his troops continued down the corridor, not even hesitating for a moment. Johan refused to breathe a sigh of relief, no matter how much he actually wanted to. He waited a while, not sure of how long, but just until he felt safe to move out again.

 _They went that way,_ he thought, looking the way that he'd come. _So, I'm going this way._ The only problem with that was that he could guess the way out lead the way they'd passed by, and he didn't want to follow them.

A slight gust of chill air blew by him and that made up Johan's mind all by itself. Following the breeze, he hurried along, whispering thanks to he knew not what that no other troops or guard patrols were in the area. He did pass a few random humans or monsters, but those were more in the way of castle servants than anything else. He hid from them as well; he didn't want Haou's cook or a serving maid to casually mention that he'd been seen somewhere. The only chance he had for this escape to work was to avoid being seen at all.

So far, he'd done a pretty good job of that. So good that he almost began to wonder if it was _too_ good. It didn't seem quite right that after all this time, Haou would just suddenly let Johan get the jump on him and he'd be able to escape with no problems.

But when he saw a door left open and could taste the breeze from outside, Johan let all of his doubts slip away and made for it as fast as he could.

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
 **Title:** As Long As It Takes  
 **Characters:** Juudai, Johan  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,625|| **story:** 9,922  
 **Genre:** Adventure, Romance|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I, #011, multichapter with 9-14 chapters; Written for the GX Non-Flash Bingo, #007, patience is a virtue  
 **Notes:** This takes place in the world where Juudai is the incarnation of the Darkness of Destruction and Johan, formerly a rebel against him, is now his prisoner.  
 **Summary:** It takes time to completely break someone, especially when they're as strong-willed as Johan Andersen. Haou of the Destructive Darkness will take that time. Because such a sweet prize is worth waiting for.

* * *

Haou watched as Johan faded out of sight, fleeing as quickly as his legs could get him to move. A small, satisfied smile hovered over his lips.

 _Excellent._

"Haou-sama?" One of his servants spoke warily from behind him. "There's no sign of your prisoner in the castle anymore."

Haou snorted. "Of course. He's already left." He knew that he didn't have the brightest of beings working for him, but he'd thought they were smarter than _that_. Oh, for the day when Johan would serve him willingly and eagerly…

"Who do you want to go after him?"

"No one. I'll do it myself." As if he'd let Johan Andersen get away completely. What kind of fool did these fools think he was? Johan didn't get away with _anything_ so far as Haou was concerned.

 _I should've expected him to take the transformation of his precious family this way._ He'd fully expected Johan to make an escape attempt sooner or later. He just couldn't decide on what would be a proper spark for it. On reflection, this definitely should've occurred to him.

He could feel the eyes of his servants as they watched him, and he continued to watch the area Johan had vanished into. The silly boy probably thought he could get away from Haou there. As if there was anywhere that he could go where Haou couldn't follow. Even if he hadn't known anyway, Haou had woven too many ties into Johan's mind for the other to be able to hide from him. The existence of the Advanced Gem Beasts didn't contribute to any hiding skills, either.

 _The Advanced Gem Beasts._ Even now he could feel the tiny shadows he'd slipped into the Gem Beasts pulsing not that far away. A slow, twisted smile curved up his lips. _I think it's time for a new kind of fun._

He reached out with tendrils of power that he'd woven into the essence of their spirits, whispering commands and exactly what he wanted them to do. They did not have a choice. As the Gem Beasts, they could've fought him and may even have won. Their ties to Johan were strong, stronger than he'd ever imagined.

But now his will overrode theirs and his orders would be obeyed.

Satisfied, he strolled down to the dining hall. It was nearly dinner time and he wanted to have himself well fed before he set off on the next phase of his plan.

 _I do wonder if Johan regrets running away before dinner. I don't think he's going to get a chance to eat tonight._

* * *

Haou enjoyed himself with a long, leisurely meal. He did enjoy sharing such delights with Johan, hand-feeding his precious possession once Johan begged enough to satisfy him. And he would do so again, once he'd brought Johan back to where he belonged. Perhaps now it would completely sink into Johan that he had nowhere else to go and no one else who would take care of him.

Haou was the only person in all of the worlds who would give him food, shelter, and passion. No one else cared if Johan Andersen lived or died.

Haou wouldn't allow it.

Or at the very least, he wouldn't allow Johan to _think_ that. What other people felt mattered very little to Haou. But Johan's perception of what they felt? That mattered quite a lot. So long as Johan believed that only Haou would care for him and care _about_ him, then all would be well. And this situation right now would go a very long way towards making Johan believe that.

He checked infrequently on what was going on with Johan and the Advanced Gem Beasts. He couldn't see it for himself; his powers didn't stretch that far. But through the connections he had to both the spirits and the human, he could become aware to some degree.

Johan was terrified, pleading, and exhausted. Hungry and cold and soaked.

 _He's crossed the river. So he'll believe he's out of my territory._ Oh, that was going to be so pleasant to prove him wrong about. This entire world was his territory.

The Advanced Gem Beasts held nothing that could be called an emotion. They only obeyed their orders, unrelenting and unstoppable engines of fear and terror.

If it would mean anything to them, he would reward them. But now they were merely extensions of his will. Rewards meant nothing at all.

He considered how much longer he should wait. It would have to be the absolute perfect moment to retrieve Johan, neither too soon nor too late. If he waited too long, some of those ridiculous rebels stood a chance of finding him. While it would be easy enough to take him back from them, that was a spark of hope that he did not want Johan to have.

Haou let the night pass in silence. He enjoyed a peaceful sleep, made more so by knowing that Johan didn't. But now was the time.

As his word, the stable servants saddled up his Firewing Pegasus, a winged stallion that he'd seldom had opportunity to ride. Now was an excellent time to change that.

 _I wonder if Johan knows how to ride._ He'd never had occasion to ask. Well, he'd find out once they were on the way home. He also wondered if Johan were afraid of heights. Not that it mattered if he was. Haou simply wondered what he didn't know about his favorite toy.

Firewing Pegasus wasn't completely tame, stamping searing hooves into the ground that left slightly scorched earth behind, tossing his head proudly and neighing defiance when Haou came closer. The dark lord rested one hand on his steed's head, staring into those bright golden eyes.

"That's enough," he ordered. "You will do as I tell you to do." Haou brooked no disobedience from any his servants or slaves, no matter how many limbs they had or how powerful they were. He outranked them all and they would learn who their master was.

Firewing Pegasus tossed his head one more time, and Haou wrapped his fingers around the powerful muzzle. " _Obey_." He commanded, sending a pulse of power through the steed. Firewing Pegasus squealed, shook himself all over, and set his hooves down, ceasing his incessant stamping. He bent his head a trifle, submitting to Haou's power.

He still wasn't tame. Haou could tell tame from wild with ease. But the creature would obey now, and that mattered the most. He swung up onto the pegasus's back and urged him into the skies. He didn't know precisely where Johan was; the link wasn't that tight and the information he could get wasn't that clear. But he knew where he'd told the Advanced Gem Beasts to send him and that was where he aimed for now.

Seeing his empire from up here gave him an entirely different impression of matters. There were long stretches of territory where only bare earth remained, no grass or trees or flowers or signs of life of any kind. He all but purred to himself at the sight of that. Destruction flowed through his veins alongside of blood and to see it all laid out before him reassured him that he was fulfilling his purpose in existing. He _was_ Destruction itself, the living vessel of the force that existed only to bring an end to all things, and he congratulated himself on a job very well begun.

His steed still twitched and resisted a little, but Haou kept him under control. The beast reminded him of Johan, in all truth, fierce and proud and defiant, as well as being amazingly beautiful. But just like Johan, Firewing Pegasus would bend to his will.

On the far horizon to the west, he saw tiny trails of smoke rising up. Not big enough to be a forest fire, and very regular. His eyes narrowed and if he hadn't wanted to retrieve Johan so much, he would have investigated. The sight of Haou himself descending from the heavens would likely terrify whatever caused the smoke to no end.

 _Perhaps tomorrow. If I'm not too busy with Johan._ From what he could see of it, he thought it might be a hidden village or even a rebel encampment. The idea of showing up at one of _those_ in all of his glory sent a delicious thrill all through him. Someone would have to keep an eye on that area, he decided.

He turned his attention back to tracking Johan down more specifically. A quick brush against Johan's mind and those of the Advanced Gem Beasts gave him more assurance: they were just where he wanted them to be. He almost _did_ wish the Advanced Gems could comprehend the idea of a reward. They'd most certainly earned it.

A few more wingbeats and he could see the place now: a canyon with only one exit or entrance to it and the rock walls too sheer and too high for anyone to climb. A perfect trap. He would have to use it again some day.

The closer he drew to it, the more everything in the canyon resolved itself. All of the Advanced Gems, even Rainbow Dark Dragon wound their way through the rock-filled canyon. If he'd approached on foot, he might not have seen Johan, cowering in the shadow of the largest rock that he could find. Haou could imagine what he looked like from here, exhausted, hungry, terrified, heart-wounded.

Beautiful. So completely _beautiful_.

With a single twitch of a mental command, Haou bade the Advanced Gems to back off. Firewing Pegasus landed on top of the rock Johan hid behind and Haou looked down at his prize.

"Hello, Johan. It's time for you to come home."

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
 **Title:** As Long As It Takes  
 **Characters:** Juudai, Johan  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,753|| **story:** 11,675  
 **Genre:** Adventure, Romance|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I, #011, multichapter with 9-14 chapters; Written for the GX Non-Flash Bingo, #007, patience is a virtue  
 **Notes:** This takes place in the world where Juudai is the incarnation of the Darkness of Destruction and Johan, formerly a rebel against him, is now his prisoner.  
 **Summary:** It takes time to completely break someone, especially when they're as strong-willed as Johan Andersen. Haou of the Destructive Darkness will take that time. Because such a sweet prize is worth waiting for.

* * *

Johan wasn't certain of how long he'd been out of the castle and steadily pelting his way through the surrounding woods when it happened. He'd kept the Gem Beast deck close to him all this time. He would keep them safe, he told himself, and find a way to fix what had happened to them. They were his family. It was part of his duty to take care of them. He'd failed by letting them be hurt like this in the first place and he would do his all to make it right.

He hadn't expected any of them to emerge from their cards. They usually didn't unless he called for them anyway, and right now, the sight of them hurt so much that all he could do was run and hope that he'd find someone who could lend a hand.

But then Ruby Carbuncle stood before him, back arched and hissed, the unfriendliest sound that he'd ever heard coming from her small body. Claws sharp enough to pierce through skin gleamed at the tips of her paws. Even if the wounds caused wouldn't be intense, the thought that she was doing this in the first place sent shudders all through him.

"Ruby?" He began to reach out for her, then jerked his hand back in the nick of time as she scratched for him. "Ruby, what's wrong?"

Stupid question, he knew. This wasn't his dear Gem Beast companion. This was _Advanced_ Gem Beast Ruby Carbuncle, twisted by Haou's powers into this mockery. He needed to remember that.

Before he could even try to think of a way to get her back in her card so he could keep going, Amethyst Cat and Topaz Tiger stood in front of him, as dark and foul as Ruby was. Johan stumbled back, eyes darting from one side to the other.

"Guys? What are you doing?" He hadn't expected anything like this. His heart skipped a beat or two. This wasn't right. He shouldn't be afraid of his family like this. But the way they stared at him, the emotionless look of their eyes, claws digging into the dirt as if preparing to slice into him…

He _was_ afraid. And it would only get worse.

A stallion's battle cry was his only warning before Advanced Gem Beast Sapphire Pegasus's hooves nearly split his skull. Johan rolled to the side, coming up to stare at his friend, then scrambled to his feet. He couldn't stay here. Not with them trying to kill him. Or worse, keep him in one place so Haou could come and find him.

So Johan ran. It was all that he could do. He kept the cards close; the idea of casting them aside didn't even cross his mind. How could he have them healed if he didn't keep them with him?

He ran and they chased. In moments when he dared to stop to catch his breath, he could see Cobalt Eagle or Sapphire Pegasus in the skies above, tracking him so the others could find him. If they couldn't keep an eye on him, then Amethyst Cat or Topaz Tiger would be able to track him by scent.

 _Guess I'm lucky Emerald Turtle isn't getting in on this. Trying to block my way or something._ And the mere thought of Amber Mammoth or Rainbow Dragon - Rainbow Dragon of _all_ of them – standing before him and not there to help him broke his heart.

There had to be a way to get rid of the Haou's taint on them. The problem with that was that he didn't know what the way was or who could do it. Maybe if he could find his way back to the rebels, they would know something that he didn't. Or they could at least find out. When he'd been with them, they'd had contacts in many far-flung places. Most of those had probably changed by now, for any number of reasons, not the least of which was his own capture. He'd made that a rule before he'd ever seen Haou face to face. If any of them were taken prisoner, then anything that the captive could know had to be changed as soon as possible.

The rule hadn't been any different just because it had been him. If anything, his capture meant that _everything_ needed to be changed. He guessed that they'd done it, since Haou would've gloated to him about having defeated them all otherwise.

He'd done all that he could to avoid telling his captor anything. He hadn't always succeeded and he never knew for certain when he _had_ spilled out something that he shouldn't have. Haou twisted his mind into so many different directions, overloading him with pain and pleasure to the point he didn't know if he said anything, or if he even needed to, if he just babbled out whatever Haou wanted to know or hear.

Now, even running away from the corrupted members of his family, he realized that this was the first time he'd been able to go anywhere and not have Haou's eyes on him, not being watched and studied and admired in the most lustful ways possible, since he'd been captured. How long had it been?

 _Years. I know it's been years._ Haou always 'celebrated' when the anniversary of Johan's capture rolled around and Johan remained certain there had been at least three of those. He wouldn't rule out that others had happened and he didn't remember them. Time just got _strange_ when all one could do was remain in a cell and wait to be tortured, pleasured, or both.

Water trickled by ahead of him and Johan looked up to see a stream not that far ahead. His throat ached for water and he hurried there. A quick look around showed him that there weren't any of the Advanced Gem Beasts in sight, which sent a mixture of regret and relief all through him. He dropped down by the stream and scooped up a few handfuls, trembling with every one of them. It wouldn't be long. They'd always been great hunters and warriors. It was just that now, they were hunting him.

 _How could he do that? Why would he?_ Just the way he'd looked told Johan that Haou expected him to be happy about this, on some level. Tears pricked at his eyes and he dashed them away quickly. He didn't dare let himself be blinded like that. He had to move again. This was water, but he would need food, and shelter, and time to rest. Shelter and time to rest would be the hardest to find, with the Gem Beasts on his trail like they were. He would have to work harder at losing them.

Above him came the whisper of wings on the wind. Johan groaned, catching sight of a shadow. _Cobalt Eagle._ Of all of them he could hide from the sharp-eyed predator the least. He somewhat wondered if Emerald Turtle or Rainbow Dragon could also communicate with the others, letting them know exactly where he was.

Even if they could, he wasn't going to drop them. Johan didn't leave his family behind. He'd lost enough people he cared about, related to or not, over the years.

Still weary, his legs trembling but not yet ready to give out from under him, Johan pushed himself to his feet and started on again, picking a random course that he hoped would bring him to that supposed safety. Just a few hours of rest, that was all he needed. He doubted that he'd get it, though.

He did manage to find a few stunted trees with fruit on them. He'd never seen fruit like these before, and he hoped that they weren't poisonous. He wanted to stay away from Haou but not to the point he wanted to die to do so. The few that he chewed on as he hurried along, not even daring to pause for the few minutes it would take to eat them, tasted a little bland, but that was it. No poison, not that he could tell.

Johan couldn't guess how long it had been after he ate before he spied Sapphire Pegasus coming down toward his left. He hurried toward the right, putting as much distance between them as he could manage. He didn't know what they'd do if they caught him and he was in no mood to find out the hard way.

That set the stage for the next several hours. The sun set and Johan kept running, only managing to grab a few minutes of rest here and there. Always when he felt rested enough to move again, one of the Gem Beasts found him and he had to keep going.

All of this dragged him down more than he wanted to think about. The longer it dragged on, the more a slow sensation grew in the back of his mind, something that he felt that he _should_ think about. It didn't feel right. But he just had no time to wait and think it through. His immediate needs came first: food, water, rest, and shelter. He couldn't find the last anywhere, but he would duck himself into small caves or under thick bushes when he absolutely couldn't move on and there were moments when he didn't see them anywhere so he dared to stop for a while. He ate whatever fruits he could find growing, few as those were. He drank from any water sources he found.

And then he found himself in a canyon that had no way out but the one he'd come in by. He didn't even remember how he'd found it. Everything except the burning need to flee had long since fallen out of his mind. To make matters worse, now even Emerald Turtle and Rainbow Dragon – he refused to think of the glorious creature as Rainbow _Dark_ Dragon, even now – lurked here, keeping him pinned.

Johan curled himself against the largest rock that he could find. He had nowhere he could go. They stood between him and the only path out. All he could do now was just wait to see what they'd do.

Wingbeats sounded. He cracked one eye enough to see that it couldn't be Sapphire Pegasus or Cobalt Eagle. They both stood where he could see them.

Then a voice spoke, one he knew far too well and had so hoped he'd never hear again.

"Hello, Johan. It's time for you to come home."

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
 **Title:** As Long As It Takes  
 **Characters:** Juudai, Johan  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,632|| **story:** 13,307  
 **Genre:** Adventure, Romance|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I, #011, multichapter with 9-14 chapters; Written for the GX Non-Flash Bingo, #007, patience is a virtue  
 **Notes:** This takes place in the world where Juudai is the incarnation of the Darkness of Destruction and Johan, formerly a rebel against him, is now his prisoner.  
 **Summary:** It takes time to completely break someone, especially when they're as strong-willed as Johan Andersen. Haou of the Destructive Darkness will take that time. Because such a sweet prize is worth waiting for.

* * *

Haou noticed everything about Johan. He always did. He spent a great deal of time watching Johan, even when Johan had no idea that he was doing so. Right now, he could clearly see the tension in Johan's shoulders and the stiffness in his back, the way that his eyes flicked all around, seeking an escape that he could not find.

He dismounted Firewing Pegasus and took a few careful steps toward Johan, holding out one hand. "Come on, Johan," he said, staring into those exhausted eyes. He knew how tired Johan had to be, and how hungry, and how simply worn out. He'd arranged this, after all. If Johan still dared to be stubborn...well, he'd still take him back where he belonged. Johan had had his fun and now he should know better.

Johan pushed himself into the rock behind him as if he wanted to sink into it. He shook his head and Haou caught the silver glimmer of tears there. Before Johan could move, he darted forward and wrapped his arms around his precious prize.

"It's all right," he murmured, trying to be helpful and soothing. He knew that he wasn't good at it, but it was the sort of thing that Johan would want. So he tried, at least for now. It would help Johan to understand his place.

Johan remained stiff in his arms as Haou's hands carded through his hair and he continued to whisper soothing words. Johan shook his head, trembling still.

"Why?" Whispered that soft, even Haou might not have heard, despite how close he and Johan were right now. "Why would you do that to them?"

Oh, Johan still worried about them? Haou rubbed Johan's shoulders. He'd seen people trying to soothe others by doing that and he thought it might work now.

"They're much stronger now, Johan," Haou explained, reaching to tilt Johan's head up so their eyes met. He'd never seen Johan look this broken before. He'd never been this beautiful before. Haou had to hold himself back from tasting those lips. He kept his mind on what was going on, on soothing Johan. "You haven't even tried to use them in battle, have you?" He knew Johan hadn't. They'd been ordered to herd him, and Johan had wanted to flee more than he'd wanted to fight.

Johan just stared at him, one tear sliding down his cheek. Haou reached up and wiped it away with his thumb.

"Come, Johan. You can fight me. It won't be a death-match." They didn't have any of the stones that would create the proper circle for that anyway. "I'll show you just how strong they are now."

He traced his thumb across Johan's cheek again and pushed his lips up into a small smile. "I know you've wanted to fight me for a long time now." Johan had challenged him frequently in the beginning, before he began to slowly break down under long imprisonment and the arcs of punishment and pleasure Haou put him through.

Johan drew in a stuttering breath and then another and another before he began to stand up and put Haou's arms away from him. Haou allowed it, for now. He could not predict the duel, but he knew that he would win. Johan was strong, but not that strong.

Slowly, looking as if the thought of touching the cards made him sick, Johan began to shuffle his deck. Haou stepped off a respectable amount and shuffled his own. The Evil Heroes would be his side, as they always were. He checked to make certain that there wasn't anything Johan might actually hit himself against when attacks connected. He wanted to teach Johan, not kill him.

At his command, the spirits of the Advanced Gem Beasts faded into the deck, and Johan shuddered as soon as they did. Haou smiled.

"You're still connected to them, you know. You can feel them no matter what."

"I want my real family back," Johan said, his voice a little duller than usual. "Not what you twisted them into."

Haou tilted his head. "But you don't even know them. You're not even trying to know them." Hadn't Johan always said they were his family, no matter what?

"I don't _want_ to know them!" Johan snapped. "You _hurt_ them!" His eyes blazed without warning. Haou began to smile. Johan had bent and splintered under the years of his captivity, but now he flared once again, the warrior that he'd been during his rebellious phase. "When I beat you, I want you to change them back."

Haou lifted an eyebrow now. "You what?" Had he actually heard that? Had Johan recovered himself that much?

Head up, shoulders high, eyes burning with fury. Yes, Johan indeed had. "I want you to change them back into the Gem Beasts when I beat you."

A rich, slow smile of his own turned up on Haou's lips. He hadn't had anyone make a demand of him like that in his entire _life_. Most people who dueled him outside of lethal duels would've been satisfied to not die.

"Very well, Johan. _If_ you beat me, then I'll undo what I did to them." If Johan were going to be so childish as to believe that, then who was he to break him that -yet?

Johan could have been the young rebel leader that he'd spent years being, instead of the nearly broken tame pet that Haou knew he truly was. But if this was what it took to also teach him the truth, then Haou would gladly do so.

"Duel!"

From the beginning it was close. Haou knew very well that Johan was good, spectacular even. He wouldn't have been the warrior and leader he was if he wasn't also a fantastic duelist. He'd wanted to duel Johan before, but the time had never been right.

Johan handled his new deck like it was an extension of himself, just as he did the original Gem Beast deck. Haou clearly saw how much he loathed it, regardless. That rage kept Johan going, though. He fought to restore his family, and Haou almost wished that he could. He would have loved to see Johan smiling in joy.

But he knew that it couldn't happen. Even if it could have, he wouldn't have done it. He did not unmake his work, even if he could.

He had an advantage Johan might not have been aware that he had. If Johan had thought about it, he might've guessed it, but so far as Haou could tell, Johan _hadn't_ thought about it.

While the base of the Advanced Gem Beast deck was the Gem Beast deck, and no one alive knew that deck better than Johan Andersen, the changes that Haou made to recreate it as the Advanced Gem Beast required certain cards that he'd fashioned, such as Advanced Dark. And that gave the weakness: Haou knew precisely what the cornerstone of the deck was, and how to get rid of it.

He'd had the card necessary to do so from his third draw of cards. But he waited. He wanted to see just how good Johan really could be, playing a deck that he hated. And he could tell that Johan was _very good_.

Among other things, he also wanted to see all of the Advanced Gems in action before he destroyed them all. He waited, ever so patiently, defending his life when he had to and biting into Johan's life points whenever the opportunity arose.

Then the moment came, sharp and strong and deadly and if Haou had not been who he was, he suspected that this duel would have ended in Johan's favor already. But now Johan had everything assembled, and he called out the words that had sealed the fate of other warriors.

"I summon Ultimate Gem God Rainbow Dark Dragon!"

And there were tears on his face as he spoke.

Haou smiled. He waited until the corrupted dragon loomed over him, ready to strike at nothing more than Johan's word. If such an attack happened and struck his life points, he would lose. He simply didn't have four thousand or more at the moment, and he had nothing on his field but one face-down card and Elemental Hero Neos in attack position. But he already had the way of how to win set in his mind.

Johan started to speak, to announce his attack. Haou interrupted before he could finish it.

"I activate my face-down card, _Super Fusion_!" And the blood drained from Johan's face as Haou spoke. "Discarding one card from my hand -" There went that useless Hane Kuriboh, finally serving a useful purpose - "I fuse Elemental Hero Neos and Rainbow Dark Dragon to create Rainbow Dark Neos!"

And of course, the new monster appeared on _his_ side of the field, a twisted demon of over four thousand attack points, with wings of black feathers and armor of black and gold. It was the most beautiful sight Haou had seen in his life, aside from Johan in tears of pleasure and pain.

Such as he was now. Haou smiled. Too pretty. Far too pretty.

Johan gestured to end his turn; he couldn't do anything else. He had no way to retrieve Rainbow Dark Dragon from the cemetery and all of the other Advanced Gems were there already themselves, thanks to the effect of Advanced Dark and Haou's various attacks throughout the duel. Pain ruled his eyes now as the united form of his beloved – if corrupted – Rainbow Dragon and Haou's Hero stood before him.

"Rainbow Dark Neos," Haou said, hardly daring to believe that this moment had come, when he would crush Johan's will resist to dust, "Attack." He breathed only for a moment. "Dark Rainbow Flare Stream."

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.

 **Notes:** Two chapters per day will be posted today (Friday) and again on Saturday, with the final chapter posted Sunday. Also, Dark Rainbow Neos is the evil counterpart to (obviously) Rainbow Neos, the fusion of Neos and Rainbow Dark Dragon. I'm aware that by the card game, Rainbow Neos comes from Rainbow Dark Dragon _or_ Rainbow Dragon but given that this Juudai is evil in a different fashion from the Juudai of canon, there would be differences.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
 **Title:** As Long As It Takes  
 **Characters:** Juudai, Johan  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,663|| **story:** 14,970  
 **Genre:** Adventure, Romance|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I, #011, multichapter with 9-14 chapters; Written for the GX Non-Flash Bingo, #007, patience is a virtue  
 **Notes:** This takes place in the world where Juudai is the incarnation of the Darkness of Destruction and Johan, formerly a rebel against him, is now his prisoner.  
 **Summary:** It takes time to completely break someone, especially when they're as strong-willed as Johan Andersen. Haou of the Destructive Darkness will take that time. Because such a sweet prize is worth waiting for.

* * *

In all of his duels, both those with the threat of death and not, Johan hadn't ever had his monsters, his family, turned against him. People had tried, but he had ways to get around that.

Until today. Until now. Until this monstrosity that mocked Rainbow Dragon even more so than Rainbow Dark Dragon did unleashed all of its power against him and he had nothing that could protect his life points, and not even two hundred of those left.

He fell back, legs no longer capable of supporting him, the breath falling out of his lungs, his heart stuttering and his vision going dark.

He wasn't dead. No. Haou would never, ever let that happen to him. Death would bring peace. Death would bring a fresh life and a fresh chance to set things right, perhaps eons down the line.

And so Haou would never give him that peace.

Johan didn't know how long he laid there. But too soon, far too soon, he heard Haou stepping over to him and felt that arm supporting his shoulders. He kept his eyes closed. Just for a few more moments, he wanted to believe this was just the end of another duel, perhaps with a friend he could trust, someone who didn't want to make him suffer.

Haou's fingers brushed over his cheeks. "Open your eyes, Johan. It's over."

Johan shuddered at the touch. His eyes opened, and he didn't know if it was because of Haou's command or his own desire. The two concepts were beginning to be hopelessly intertwined in his mind. He knew that was what Haou wanted, which was just one more reason for him not to want it.

But now his eyes were open and Haou knelt next to him, one arm underneath Johan's shoulders, the other across his waist, keeping him neatly pinned down and supported at the same time. Johan wanted to close his eyes again and block all of this out. He'd never been this exhausted, and it wasn't all because of how much he'd ran and the existence of the Advanced Gem Beasts. The duel, everything with Haou, all of it plotted together to bring him down, and he had no more defenses left.

Haou smiled at him. No one should have seen that smile and Johan wished he wasn't seeing it now.

"There you are. Now, it's time for us to go home." He began to get up, urging Johan to do the same, and Johan did. No more strength for anything, not even the faintest hints of defiance. His shoulders slumped, the last of his fires flickering and fading away.

"I'm going to be punished, aren't I?" He knew the answer. Haou's smile confirmed it.

"Of course. You tried to run away from me. I knew you would, but that doesn't change the fact you tried it anyway." Haou's hand rested on his shoulder and Johan tensed in fear. "No, Johan. Not here." He leaned in closer. "I think _our_ bedroom will be a far better place to seal your lessons into your flesh, don't you?"

Johan wanted to close his eyes and block out all of this. It wouldn't stop it from happening. He would just not be able to see it, and Haou would still do what he wanted to do. He would probably just force Johan to open his eyes again anyway.

Haou took him to where his mount was: a beautiful Firewing Pegasus. Johan breathed out at the sight of it; aside from Sapphire Pegasus, he'd seen few creatures that could fly like this. This stallion gave him an appraising look, but nothing more, as Haou guided him onto the broad back.

"Perhaps we can go flying together once you've recovered from your punishment," Haou said, as if this were a perfectly ordinary activity to suggest. "You should learn how to fly on Advanced Gem Beast Sapphire Pegasus anyway."

Johan ducked his head and said nothing at all. If Haou wanted them to fly together, then they would. He had no say in the matter.

Haou mounted up behind him, his arms encircling Johan in a move that both kept him on the steed and seemed protective at the same time. Firewing Pegasus leaped up into the air and Johan found himself jerking back, leaning against Haou's strong body.

Whenever they spent time close to one another, Johan always ended up hyper aware of Haou's presence next to him. His cold breath, fit to send chills down one's spine; the play of his muscles underneath his clothing, suited to causing pain or pleasure. The whisper of his voice, not always audible in words, but sliding its way into Johan's mind and ears.

This time was no different. Haou's arms remained pressed against Johan's stomach. Johan slumped a little, somewhat looking forward to the punishment and the aftermath being over, so he could get some rest. Haou wouldn't wait until he was rested to unleash the punishment that he felt Johan deserved. By the time he was done, Johan suspected he'd probably 'pass out' more than he would 'go to sleep'.

He'd been through many of Haou's punishments before. This would be a whole new level and he focused on what would happen afterward. Rest at long last. Even food, probably fed to him by Haou's own hands. Not as good as having it for himself, much less sharing meals with his friends in the rebellion, but food all the same.

It didn't take long for them to return to Haou's castle, not with Firewing Pegasus's broad strokes of wings. Every moment they grew closer, dread rose higher and higher in Johan's heart. He knew the punishment, he knew the pain and the pleasure that he would suffer, and how they would be one and the same by the end.

As they began to angle downward toward the castle courtyard, Haou pressed cold lips to the back of Johan's head. "I hope you're looking forward to this as much as I am, Johan. I want you to understand that you deserve this. You earned it. I would not do this to you if you hadn't." His fingers pressed against Johan's stomach. "I only hurt you to teach you."

Johan didn't answer right away, until Haou pressed harder against his stomach. "I understand, Haou." He didn't. He didn't believe Haou was right at all, but daring to disagree was the wrong path right now.

Firewing Pegasus set his hooves down on the courtyard and waited as Haou slid off, pulling Johan with him, keeping him close. Haou leaned in again. "No, Johan, you don't. But you will, eventually."

Haou released Johan from his grip and gestured for him to follow. He stopped partway to the door, looking at a group of his duelists who stood nearby. "Have Firewing Pegasus taken care of, and no one is to disturb me until I decree otherwise. Johan Andersen has been retrieved and I will be tending to his punishment for the next few days. Have food sent at the usual times."

All of the duelists bowed down at once. "As you wish, Haou-sama," they murmured in unison, eyes brushing against Johan. Some contained mockery, some fear, and some dread. One or two looked vaguely sympathetic, but Johan didn't trust that, either. There wasn't anyone here who truly sympathized with him.

He followed Haou through the castle corridors, noticing similar looks being sent his way by anyone that they passed. Johan kept his head tucked down, just peeking now and then until they arrived at Haou's quarters.

Or perhaps his and Haou's. From what Haou said earlier, it sounded as if he would be sharing these quarters on a regular basis now. What that implied sent even more chills through him.

The doors swung open at Haou's brief gesture and Johan entered on Haou's heels, the doors closing practically on his own. Johan took a few more shuddering steps before Haou turned to look at him. He'd been almost kind until now but that vanished from his eyes at once. He pointed one finger down to the ground. Johan swallowed, then slowly slipped down to his knees, staring at the floor in between him and Haou.

Haou's hands rested on his shoulders, slowly removing the shreds of rags that had been Johan's clothing, not stopping until Johan knelt before him wearing only his own skin and nothing more.

Cold hands rested on the back of Johan's neck. Johan shuddered, bending his head more, his heart skittering in his chest.

"What have you done wrong, Johan?" Haou's voice remained quiet, almost restrained. Johan fought to keep his own voice like that. He didn't succeed very well.

"I ran away from you, Haou." There was a faint brush of Haou's fingers against his neck and a small spark of pain ran through Johan. He gulped, shuddering more. "Haou-sama."

Haou patted him. "Good boy. You're learning." Johan let a tiny bit of tension slide out, but not for very long. "Keep going. You've done more than just that."

Johan racked his brain. If he failed on any of the charges that Haou wished to level against him, then the punishment would be that much greater.

"I disobeyed you?" Oh, he'd done that so much. That got a reassuring pat.

"Continue."

What else? What else? Johan racked his brain harder, going over any and every slight he could imagine and letting it spill out. Some Haou agreed with. Some he corrected, to some degree or other.

And only in the end did he press down with one more addition.

"You did not appreciate my gift to you: the Advanced Gem Beasts."

Tears splashed down Johan's cheeks without warning, scorching and broken. "I'm sorry, Haou-sama, for not appreciating your gift."

Haou's hand did not move. "You're not truly sorry. Not yet." A slow, rising pain began to sizzle along Johan's nerves, starting where Haou's hand rested.

"But you will be."

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.

 **Notes:** Three more chapters to go. Two to go up tomorrow (Saturday) and the last on Sunday.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
 **Title:** As Long As It Takes  
 **Characters:** Juudai, Johan  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,630|| **story:** 16,600  
 **Genre:** Adventure, Romance|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I, #011, multichapter with 9-14 chapters; Written for the GX Non-Flash Bingo, #007, patience is a virtue  
 **Notes:** This takes place in the world where Juudai is the incarnation of the Darkness of Destruction and Johan, formerly a rebel against him, is now his prisoner. Also, this chapter involves non-graphic sexual content without fully willing consent and mental manipulation through stimulation of pain and pleasure..  
 **Summary:** It takes time to completely break someone, especially when they're as strong-willed as Johan Andersen. Haou of the Destructive Darkness will take that time. Because such a sweet prize is worth waiting for.

* * *

Johan's breath came in stuttering gasps, his eyelids fluttering, his hands clutching at the sheets beneath him. Haou kept up the surge of pleasure for another few moments before he pulled back and instead sent a jolt of raw pain through Johan. Johan's head fell backward, a cry of agony wrenched from his lips, panting and whimpering moments later.

Haou licked his lips at the sight. Johan remained just on the edge, still aware of what the difference between pain and pleasure was. He hadn't gone far enough yet. He would take Johan beyond that, but not just yet. It had to be done carefully.

He increased the pain, watching in pleasure himself as Johan panted and writhed underneath him, tears sliding down his cheeks. Truly, Johan could not have been more beautiful to him if he'd tried. He leaned over and licked the tears away, pressing a kiss to Johan's lips.

"My dear Johan," he murmured, trailing his tongue down Johan's cheeks to his lips and his neck. "I want you so much. You want me, don't you?"

Johan wasn't capable of giving a coherent answer, not with his voice, but his body reacted to Haou's touch, as it always did. That alone would've told Haou that Johan wanted him. Johan refused to admit openly the attraction that flowed between them. Haou didn't mind. Johan would, sooner or later. His patience remained infinite. It could be nothing else, when he had all of eternity to achieve his goals.

Since he knew quite well that Johan wanted him, Haou nipped and teased with his teeth and tongue. He let the pain subside a fraction; Johan would enjoy the pleasure and hate it more because it came from him. Haou did not delude himself that Johan cared for _him_. What Johan liked, what Johan loved, and what Johan _wanted_ remained the pleasure that he experienced at Haou's hands. He would, in due course, do anything at all to gain that pleasure.

He would also do anything to avoid the pain, and Haou looked forward to that time as well.

Underneath his touch, Johan sobbed as the pleasure rose even higher, the fires within him stoked by Haou's careful and intense attentions. Then Haou eased off again, letting the arousal subside.

It only took a few moments for Johan's eyes to clear and focus on Haou, who still remained over him, hands now resting on either side of Johan, not touching him. Johan swallowed, his voice raspy with remains of lust when he spoke.

"H-Haou-sama?"

Haou enjoyed the sound of confusion there. Johan remained such a glorious toy. "Yes, Johan?"

Johan swallowed again, eyes darting around, then coming back to rest on Haou. "I t-thought...why did..." He licked his lips, eyes flicking closer to Haou. "It..."

Haou reached out to touch the center of Johan's chest with the tip of one finger. "Speak clearly, Johan. Especially if you want an answer."

Again Johan tried to say something coherent and again he failed. Haou waited. He knew what Johan wanted to know and he wanted to hear him ask it.

"Why did you… why did you stop?" Finally Johan asked and Haou smiled, reaching up to play with Johan's hair. At the touch, a shiver ran all through Johan, so Haou kept doing it, not surprised when Johan began to lean into the touch unconsciously.

"Did you want to hurt more, then?" Haou deliberately 'misunderstood' Johan's question. That earned a very quick headshake from Johan, his eyes widening.

"No, Haou-sama!" It fell from his lips without prompting now. Haou very much approved of that. "That's not what I meant."

Haou raised up an eyebrow. "Then what _did_ you mean?" He would draw every word and every admission out of Johan, no matter what it took. In the end, Johan wouldn't be able to keep anything from him.

Not that he could now anyway, but Haou wanted Johan to speak to him because he knew better than to even try.

Johan tried again. "It...what else you were doing… not the pain, the..." Johan actually blushed. Haou stroked his cheeks with the back of his hand, enjoying the look. "It felt good. When you touched me. Not to hurt, but to … to make me feel good."

Haou smiled, tracing a finger from Johan's cheeks to his lips and resting the finger there. He waited to see what Johan would do and was not disappointed when the other darted out his tongue to brush against Haou's finger, eyes remaining on his master to see if this were allowed.

"Good boy," Haou approved. Johan needed to learn not just to accept his punishment and pleasure, but to please his master at any point. He'd had some lessons on this before, but this was a new level of their relationship and all had to be done with care.

Clearly pleased by this, Johan continued to lick, head moving back and forth a little. Haou reached with his other hand and for a moment, Johan flinched. Haou only ran his fingers through Johan's hair, showing his growing approval of Johan's attitude.

Johan continued with his attentions once he realized he wasn't going to be hurt again – at least not yet – and Haou continued to soothe and please him. The pain and punishment hadn't completely ended, not yet, but Haou knew the best way to train his Johan was a combination of punishment and praise, both where they were deserved.

He let his free hand wander down Johan, rediscovering all of those places where Johan enjoyed most being touched. That drew more and more sounds of arousal from Johan. Haou used them with care, though. He wanted something from Johan before he was allowed to reach his peak of pleasure.

"You are enjoying this so much," Haou murmured, pulling his finger away from Johan's mouth. He'd need both of his hands to complete this. "Aren't you?"

Johan shuddered as Haou's hands began to work him again. "Yes… yes, Haou-sama. I am."

"Enjoying my touch," Haou purred, leaning to whisper in Johan's ear. "Wanting to know the bliss of being in my bed. The person you claimed to have hated all these years."

At those words, Johan began to shudder. He'd put aside his fear and hatred to claim the pleasure that _let_ him forget that fear and hatred, and now Haou brought it all back with a few words. But Haou still wasn't done.

"Imagine what your dear friends in the rebellion would think if they saw you in my bed right now. So eager, so willing, so wanting of what only I can or will give you."

One hand brushed against the dip in Johan's hip and held there, sending a slow, rising tide of pleasure. "But you don't care, do you, Johan? Not as long as I keep making you feel this good."

Johan began to shake his head. Haou wondered if he thought he was saying that he didn't care or that he did care. It could've been either way. But it also didn't matter. Only Haou's will mattered in the end.

"These are your options, Johan. This." A quick flash of pleasure, not enough to overwhelm, but enough to hint at what else could come. "Or this." Now pain, surging across Johan's nerves, pulling a strained cry out of Johan's lips.

Haou leaned forward to suck on Johan's lips, nibbling softly there and then farther downward. "Which do you want? Which do you _need_?"

"D...don't want to hurt..." Johan whispered. He didn't wait to answer, and Haou gave him a bit of pleasure to reward him for that. Johan didn't need to think about things. "Please..."

Haou's hands kept moving, making Johan feel better and better with each moment. "Beg for me, Johan. Beg for what you want and I _might_ give it to you. If I feel you've earned it."

Johan tried to squirm up a little, but Haou kept him pinned down, wanting to hear those words.

"Please, Haou-sama." Johan's voice wasn't easy to hear, but Haou did. "Please, I want… I want to feel good. I want to not hurt..."

Haou's fingers pressed against Johan. "Why are you begging me for it, Johan?"

He liked the way Johan's eyes glazed over, reflecting the pleasure he endured. Johan wasn't in any condition to actively think about anything, even if he had needed to. And without thinking came absolute unfiltered truth.

"Because if I don't, I can't have it!" Johan gasped, half-sitting up, until Haou pushed him back down. "I _don't want to hurt anymore_!"

Haou smiled. "And who decides if you hurt or not?" He leaned forward and whispered the next question. "Who are you, Johan?"

"You… you decide...Haou-sama..." Johan gasped through another tide of pleasure, that still did not reach that peak. "You're the only one who decides… what I feel…"

Haou threaded his fingers through Johan's hair once more. "Yes, Johan, that's right. You have no right to decide how you feel. Only I do. Correct?"

That got a quick, eager nod from Johan. The knowledge hadn't sunk in as deep as Haou wanted, but it was enough for now. Time would do the rest. But one question still needed to be answered.

"Who are you, Johan Andersen?"

From Johan's lips there came the answer that Haou wanted to hear ever since Guardian Baou first dragged Johan in chains before him.

"Yours! I'm yours! I'm whatever you want me to be, Haou-sama! Please!"

And that last word, that last 'please' spiraled upward on a gasp that echoed against the walls and shook Johan from the top of his head to the soles of his feet.

Haou leaned back, satisfied in a way that transcended mortal pleasure. Finally. Johan knew his place.

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.

 **Notes:** Just two more chapters to go. Chapter eleven will be up tonight if all goes well, and the last one tomorrow. But this is by no means the last story in this world. There are many more to come, side stories and other people doing things.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
 **Title:** As Long As It Takes  
 **Characters:** Juudai, Johan  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,640|| **story:** 18,240  
 **Genre:** Adventure, Romance|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I, #011, multichapter with 9-14 chapters; Written for the GX Non-Flash Bingo, #007, patience is a virtue  
 **Notes:** This takes place in the world where Juudai is the incarnation of the Darkness of Destruction and Johan, formerly a rebel against him, is now his prisoner. This chapter contains non-graphic sexual situations, as well as references to past torment, and Johan being a submissive broken slave.  
 **Summary:** It takes time to completely break someone, especially when they're as strong-willed as Johan Andersen. Haou of the Destructive Darkness will take that time. Because such a sweet prize is worth waiting for.

* * *

Johan's eyes opened. He closed them again the moment he realized that he saw the canopy over Haou-sama's bed, rich black satin trimmed in red. He'd seen it many other times before when he woke in Haou-sama's bed, but now it seemed somehow to mark a milestone that he wished it never had.

There was something different inside of him. Not Haou-sama having twisted his mind in the way that he could, not anything like that. But that burning core of defiance, battered and splintered over his time in the dungeons and under Haou-sama's hands and lips, now lay extinguished and silent within him. The idea of defying Haou-sama just wouldn't occur to him on a serious basis. He could think about it. He knew he'd done it before. He knew why he had.

But the idea of doing it again? He couldn't wrap his head around that now.

Footsteps sounded, very familiar ones. Without thinking about it, he slipped out of bed, wincing at the pain that still whispered as an echo through his bones and muscles, and dropped down to his knees before the approaching Haou-sama, staring at the floor.

"Good morning, Johan." His master sounded pleased at his expression of humility, petting Johan's hair as he spoke. Johan didn't speak himself; he hadn't yet been told that he could. Defiance wouldn't mean anything. It would accomplish nothing beyond earning him pain, and Johan was _done_ with being hurt.

Haou-sama's hand slid down to cup Johan's chin and tilted his head upward so their eyes met. Whatever Haou-sama saw in Johan's eyes clearly pleased him even more, as he leaned down to brush his lips over Johan's own.

"You may speak, my precious." Haou-sama granted, still only a breath away from Johan.

"Good morning, Haou-sama," Johan murmured, dropping his eyes so he didn't meet his master's. Haou-sama rubbed his thumb over Johan's cheek.

"I find you especially beautiful this morning, Johan. You've come such a long way." He leaned in to whisper in Johan's ear. "I want you. On the bed, now."

Johan didn't question for a single moment. Only Haou-sama's desires and needs mattered. His existence was to please his master and nothing more. He moved back to the bed, still rumpled from the previous night, and a moment later Haou-sama joined him.

Haou-sama took his time with Johan, slowly building up the fires of lust and desire, until Johan pleaded and begged for the peak that he knew he wanted, but could only have at his master's allowance. Johan did not hide for a moment how much he wanted that bliss or that he wanted Haou-sama to give it to him, or what he would do to earn it.

Johan got what he wanted, but only after Haou-sama satisfied himself, very thoroughly. Every muscle in Johan's body ached afterward, and he unconsciously curled up against Haou-sama. When it dawned on him what he was doing, Johan started to move away, until Haou-sama pulled him closer, one arm around him.

"You may do this in our bed," Haou-sama instructed him. "So long as you've pleased me as well as you have this morning." He played with Johan's hair and gently wiped away some of the sweat on his forehead. "Isn't this much better than that cell?"

Johan kept his eyes down. He would look anyone in the face who wasn't Haou-sama. Haou-sama deserved nothing but his obedience, his fear, his respect, and the use of his body as he pleased. "Yes, Haou-sama."

Haou-sama chuckled before he nudged Johan up. "I have a surprise for you. But first we clean up."

Johan stood on his feet a heartbeat later and followed Haou-sama to the bathing room. Once they settled into the hot water, Johan picked up a washcloth and started to work on cleaning his master from top to bottom. Haou-sama smiled his approval, leaning back so Johan could reach everywhere.

No longer defying Haou-sama gave Johan a kind of peace that he hadn't imagined it would. He'd thought he'd feel wrong, broken inside, weak. Instead, he trusted Haou-sama not to hurt him unless he'd done wrong, and he worked hard to make certain that he wouldn't do any wrong.

Haou-sama only hurt him when he'd done something to deserve it, he reminded himself, so it was up to _him_ to make certain that he didn't earn a punishment.

Once he finished cleaning Haou-sama, he found himself bent back at the edge of the tub, and Haou-sama did the same thing for him. Unsurprisingly, once they were both clean, Haou-sama's desires were aroused once more and their mutual cries of pleasure echoed off the tiles.

Finally, _finally_ , with both of them clean, and Haou-sama once more dressed, Johan began to follow his master out of the bathing room. He hadn't brought any clothes with him, and didn't actually have any more. Haou-sama had disposed of the worn out rags he'd had before, and unless he chose to grant Johan more, then he had nothing at all to wear.

They stopped in the bedroom, and Johan noticed right away that the bed had been cleaned and tidied up. Something new rested there, though, and Johan caught the scent of rich leather as Haou-sama reached to pick it up and turned toward him.

"This is your new uniform, my precious," Haou-sama said, holding it out to him. "You'll wear it at all times." A sly smile crossed his lips. "Perhaps not _all_ times, though. But whenever we're not in here."

Johan accepted the package, peeking at it before he opened it. The leather smell was even stronger now. Haou-sama cleared his throat and Johan jumped to attention right away.

"I want to see it on you. Now."

Johan didn't wait another second, but quickly unwrapped the package in its entirety and shook it out. Blue-gray leather, suited to his coloring, hung in front of him. He wriggled his way into it, quickly learning the way of the buckles and straps, and turned to the nearest mirror to make certain everything was the way that it should be.

The leather clung to him as close as a kiss, displaying him as if he were a precious treasure. Metallic greaves hung from the belt around his waist, going over his shins. Two belts wrapped around his chest. While a respectable portion of skin was covered, there would be few who could look at this and not know what at least some portion of his duties involved.

Haou-sama's arm wrapped around his waist and he pulled Johan close to him, pressing a kiss against where the material of the suit ended and Johan's neck again.

"You're perfect in that. Just what you should be." Haou-sama murmured in between licking and sucking and nibbling at Johan's skin. Johan tilted his head to the side to give his master better access, moving back against the chill body that remained so close to him.

"Thank you, Haou-sama," Johan murmured, the words broken up by soft gasps as Haou-sama continued to work. In a very few minutes, the effects of his efforts showed: a clear mark against Johan's skin, that no one could miss.

"Delicious. And as much as I'd like to sample you again, there's work to take care of, and it involves you," Haou-sama declared. "You'll still function as my executioner when I need you to, and I expect more of you in time."

Johan caught a glimpse of those terrifying golden eyes, staring at him from the mirror's reflection.

"And you will fulfill my expectations, won't you, my precious Johan?" Haou-sama's fingers now rested on the pulse of Johan's throat, where they had many times before. Pleasure and pain both could rocket out from there if Johan said the wrong, or right, thing.

"Of course, Haou-sama," Johan replied without a heartbeat of hesitation. "I exist only to serve your will."

Haou-sama smiled, then kissed the pulse point. "Of course you do. You have no other reason to exist, do you?"

"Of course not, Haou-sama." What other reason could he have? Perhaps he'd had others once upon a time, but no longer.

Haou-sama reached for something on the bedside table and presented this to Johan as well. "You'll need these. Both of them."

One was a duel disk. It wasn't his, but it matched his new outfit and he accepted it without question. The other was a deck, and the moment it touched his hands, he knew it for the Advanced Gem Beast deck.

For a single moment, memories of battles he'd fought with the Gem Beasts swam through his mind, of all that he'd endured to put the deck together, and of the wondrous moment when he'd first seen Rainbow Dragon and knew that the glorious Gem God accepted him as the head of the Gem Beast family.

Then with the touch of Haou-sama's hand on his shoulder, it all faded away into the mists of the past where it belonged. That no longer mattered.

"Johan?" Haou-sama seemed almost curious. "Is everything all right?"

Johan looked up at his master. A tear slid down his cheek, but he wiped it away, forgetting it was there almost as soon as he did. "Of course, Haou-sama. Why wouldn't it be?"

Haou-sama smiled. Johan's heart warmed to think he'd caused that. He slid the deck into the holder where it belonged, then moved, kneeling down in front of his master.

"I will obey your every wish, Haou-sama. I am yours to command, as are the Advanced Gem Beasts. I will be your right hand, in all that you wish of me." He pledged his loyalty with his entire heart. He would follow no other master, desire no other course of action.

Haou-sama's hands rested on his shoulders. "Accepted, my precious treasure. Now come. It's time to work."

 **To Be Continued**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.

 **Note 1:** Final chapter tomorrow afternoon.

 **Note 2:** I was wondering, would anyone be interested in a story where Juudai is king or prince of a nation and someone gifts him with a beautiful male slave (Johan, of course) to use as he pleases. Juudai would be more like his canon self, though perhaps a bit more serious, and not an evil tyrant. And, naturally, he and Johan would end up together, though being the Soulshipper I am, Yubel would also be involved. So, any takers?


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandoms:** Yu-Gi-Oh GX  
 **Title:** As Long As It Takes  
 **Characters:** Juudai, Johan  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,704|| **story:** 19,944  
 **Genre:** Adventure, Romance|| **Rated:** PG-13  
 **Challenge:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I, #011, multichapter with 9-14 chapters; Written for the GX Non-Flash Bingo, #007, patience is a virtue  
 **Notes:** This takes place in the world where Juudai is the incarnation of the Darkness of Destruction and Johan, formerly a rebel against him, is now his prisoner.  
 **Summary:** It takes time to completely break someone, especially when they're as strong-willed as Johan Andersen. Haou of the Destructive Darkness will take that time. Because such a sweet prize is worth waiting for.

* * *

Days passed into weeks. Haou took to bringing Johan with him whenever he went out to battle, and before much time passed, the stories of how the former rebel leader Johan Andersen now fought beside Haou, killing with the same ruthlessness, spread far and wide.

Few people wanted to believe it. Johan had made a name for himself in the years he'd led the rebellion and many had mourned when he was taken captive. Enough people thought he was dead that there were those that claimed this was just some kind of a copy of him, created by Haou to weaken those who resisted him. Even his deck wasn't the same, those folk proclaimed, some kind of false, twisted copy of it. The true Johan Andersen would never wield those Advanced Gem Beasts.

Weeks passed into months. Regardless of if the Johan at Haou's side was the true one or not, his loyalty belonged to Haou and he stomped many a village and town into nothing more than piles of dust and burning rubble. His identity did not matter. His actions did.

Random villagers and people who fled the war weren't the only ones wondering who this new or old Johan was in truth. Deep in the center of the mountains, where finding one's way was all but impossible and even if one did, it was just as likely that survival wasn't, a group of people sat around a rough-hewn table, staring silently at one another.

"I don't like this," Tenjoin Asuka said at long last. "If that really is Johan, if he can do _that_ to Johan, then..." She shook her head. She wasn't one to give up hope lightly, but this remained something out of all of their worst nightmares.

Austin O'Brien ran his polishing cloth over his gun duel disk. "It doesn't matter if Haou has a new general or not. We can learn his weaknesses like any of the others."

The look some of those who'd known Johan for much longer than O'Brien had gave him were not ones fit for description. O'Brien didn't care at all. He knew how to make hard choices, whether he liked those choices or not.

Marufuji Ryou remained silent, his gaze turning now and then to where Fujiwara Yuusuke sat, quiet himself, with his guardian spirit Honest standing behind him.

"I saw them when I was scouting," Yuusuke said after a few silent moments. "Those are the Gem Beasts. Corrupted by Haou's power in a way that I don't understand, but I could still feel their spirits in there."

Ryou nodded a fraction. He'd been with Yuusuke on that scouting mission, but did not have his partner's gift for such things. "General Johan is completely devoted to Haou." He'd seen other things. Things that he didn't want to speak of. Even Hell Kaiser had his limits. "Whatever happened, General Johan may as well _not_ be Johan Andersen."

"Can we change him back?" Marufuji Shou wanted to know, drumming his fingers on the table.

"The question is, do we want to try?" Tyranno Kenzan joined his own voice to the discussion. "Dunno what Haou did to him, but could we undo it even if we do want to?"

All voices fell silent, all eyes turning toward one of the few who hadn't spoken yet. Calm and thoughtful in his white suit, Edo Phoenix spoke at last.

"We need more information than we have, to know if it _might_ be possible to recover the Johan that we knew, to undo whatever brainwashing Haou's done to him, or just to know anything at all about this." His eyes flicked over to the man who sat beside him, a deck of cards in his hand that wasn't for dueling. "Saiou? Can you tell us anything?"

Saiou Takuma's violet eyes glimmered with an eldritch light as he shuffled his fortunetelling deck. "I've seen nothing myself. But perhaps the cards have something to say."

In quick succession he laid out three of them from right to left. The first was the Devil. No one doubted for a moment what _that_ meant. Enough of them called Haou a devil to make the connection plain.

The next was the Knight of Swords, in reverse. Saiou regarded that one thoughtfully, before he turned to the third and final card.

Death.

"So what does all of that mean?" Kenzan wanted to know, waving one muscled hand at the layout. He'd never been one to quickly grasp the meaning of Saiou's ways of foretelling the future.

Saiou touched the Devil card. "Always before, this has ended up referring to Haou. We may assume it does so now as well. So he is central to this." No one drew a breath of surprise. Saiou may as well have said water was wet.

The next card, the reversed Knight of Swords. "Caution is necessary, especially around those who are new to one in a situation. That could refer to Johan, or to others."

Kenzan rolled his eyes. "Don't you ever know anything for certain?"

Saiou gave him a long, thoughtful look. "More than I wish to." Kenzan didn't meet his eyes, grumbling something under his breath, and Saiou returned to the last card. He said nothing at all for a few moments, before he looked at Hell Kaiser Ryou. "Death means change. I told you of this once before, I believe."

Ryou's hands clasped together for a moment. It wasn't common knowledge that he and Saiou had ever spoken more than a handful of times. But he had once gone for advice, and what he'd learned led to his current walk of life. Now he gave a simple, silent nod.

"Edo is right. We do need information, a kind that I cannot acquire. Someone will have to watch Haou and Johan closely. It could take months to find out anything useful," Saiou said, turning to speak to them all. "Or even years. It may not even be successful."

Asuka's hands clenched as well. "But we need to try. We can't just sit and do nothing. If there's a way to get Johan away from him and make him like he used to be, then we need to do it."

"A spy." Yuusuke said the word quietly. "Someone who can watch without being detected and send back information without being uncovered. Someone who can become a part of Haou's army and no one, not even Haou, would look at them askance. Someone who can be vicious. Ruthless. Cold. Uncaring."

With each word that he said, more and more people began to look at Hell Kaiser. Shou broke out before anyone could say anything. "No! My brother's not going to do that!" He was already on his feet, trembling from head to foot. "No one could be that cruel. Whoever we send has to be someone that no one would even recognize as being one of us."

"No, Shou. It has to be someone who can do the things that Haou's warriors do. There aren't many of us who are like that." Ryou offered a small, bent smile. "Most of the people who are like that are already working for him."

Shou shook his head more and more. "You can't. You're not like that."

"I can be." Ryou looked from one of the gathered council to the other. "I'll do it."

Edo gave a quick jerk of his head in agreement. "I don't think even he would believe it if you just walked in there, though, and told him you were switching sides. He's insane. He's not stupid."

"A deception." Saiou mused. "If we find a way to present Kaiser's arrival as a good thing from Haou's perspective, finding something that will ingratiate him to Haou, then this might stand a chance to work. Or to begin well, if nothing else."

"We'll have to figure out a code you can use to get information back. Places to drop notes, that kind of thing," Taniya joined her voice in as well. She seldom spoke at their gatherings, there mainly to find out was going on so Misawa and the other far-flung rebellion agents knew what their core was up to.

Shou kept on staring at them, eyes wide in disbelief. "You really want my brother to go in there and maybe get killed?"

"Someone has to do it, Shou," Ryou said, his voice full of calm acceptance. "I'm the one best suited to it."

Shou's teeth clenched, his shoulders tight, and he said nothing more.

* * *

In the end, the plan was set. It would require tracking General Johan for several weeks or months, until a trap could be laid to capture him. From there, Hell Kaiser would proceed to 'rescue' him, and then presumably be taken to Haou's castle.

"So what if General Johan decides just to kill him instead? It's not like they don't know he's one of us." Manjoume wanted to know.

"I think Haou would at least want to ask a few questions, and probably try to get any information that he could out of him," Misawa said, having arrived to throw in his opinion on matters as they organized the plan. "We'll have to make certain at least some of that information is still usable, but nothing very vital. It might be too suspicious if we've changed everything completely within a day or two."

Throughout all of this Shou refused to speak to his brother at all. Truth to be told, Ryou didn't try to talk to him. He spent his remaining time roaming around to build up a new reputation as being far more ruthless than he normally was. If Haou were to believe that he'd gone over the edge, then he needed to act as if he had.

So far as any of them knew, no one had ever deceived Haou on this scale before. They did have a few spies roaming around, but none who dared to actually be in Haou's army or where he might see them. Ryou would risk his life to find a way to recover Johan.

All any of them could do now was hope they didn't have to one day find a way to recover Ryou as well.

 **The End**

 **Note:** Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the story. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.


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